Lazy Slow Cooker Steak Chili

Chili is one of the most versatile dishes around. It is a true four-season meal that is just as popular being served at a ski resort on a cold snowy evening as it is being dished up on a hot sunny afternoon at a beachside cafe. No occasion, location, or vacation can't be made better by a delicious bowl of chili.

So why is this my personal favorite chili? Slow cooker steak chili is one of the easiest beef chili's because it requires absolutely no cooking in advance. Ground beef has to be browned and drained of its fat before it can be chili worthy. This delicious recipe skips the preparatory cooking and gets right down to business.

🍅Shopping list

To make this easy steak chili recipe you will need:

• roast (chuck roast works well) or stew meat
• onion
• green pepper
• diced tomato
• tomato sauce
• black beans
• kidney or red beans
• chili seasoning (both homemade and prepackaged work)
• minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: chopped hot chili peppers

🥣Method

If you are planning to use a slow cooker liner, placing it in your crock-pot is always the first (and most often forgotten) step. Add in your meat followed by green peppers, onion, diced tomato, tomato sauce, beans, and garlic. If you want to make your chili spicier, add in the extra chili peppers.

The final item to place in your crockpot is your chili seasoning. Prepackaged seasoning works perfectly fine here, although I prefer to make my own.

Mixing your own lets you know exactly what is going into it - no extra salt or preservatives included. It also allows you to have additional control over how much or how little flavoring you would like to add to your dish.

Cover your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

When cooking is finished, use tongs to remove the roast (if you used stew beef cubes, you can skip this step) and place on a plate. Using two forks, shred your roast by pulling it apart. Return your shredded beef to your crockpot and cook until you are ready to serve.

If you are using beef that has already been cut into chunks, just stir and serve. A small taste test will let you know if salt or pepper is needed.

Storing Leftovers

Slow cooker steak chili leftovers can be stored in meal-sized containers in either your refrigerator or freezer. It will last for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

One great way to use leftovers of this dish is in a traveling mini crockpot food warmer. This will allow you to have a warm and wonderful lunch/dinner when you are away from home.

This is a perfect meal for days when your people will be eating at different times. After the cooking time, turn your slow cooker to warm (or have it automatically switch to warm if your slow cooker has this feature) and everyone can have a hot and filling meal, no matter what time they are ready to eat. 

😉Hints & hacks

1. Want to make your shredded beef chili even easier? Instead of using a roast, make it with pre-cut stew beef chunks.
2. Hate cutting veggies? Both onions and peppers are available pre-cut in the market. They are often in the fresh vegetable section, but are more economical purchased in the frozen vegetable section and can be tossed right into your slow cooker frozen.
3. If you are shredding your beef, some people prefer to use a handheld mixer. This is a super-fast way to shred a larger piece of meat (if you choose to shred this way, I recommend shredding in a bowl to cut down on potential splatter).
4. The best way to confirm if meat is fully cooked is to use a meat thermometer. Beef is considered safe to eat when it has reached an internal temperature of at least 145ºF. Keep in mind that it is best to cook your roast well beyond the time when it first reaches that temperature to help make it extra tender.
5. I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price. Here are the liners I buy.
6. In the market for a new slow cooker? Here is the one I am currently lusting after